New Data Supports The Obvious – Automakers Neglect To Advertise Electric Cars

9 hours ago by Steven Loveday

BMW should get an award, as the company spent a "whopping" $19 million on national advertising for the i3

The Sierra Club analyzed CompetiTrack and Motor Intelligence data shared by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), pertaining to automotive advertising markers. Not surprisingly, automakers are spending much less, if anything at all, on marketing electric cars, thus advertising is minimal or non-existent.

Ford spent a grand total of $0 marketing and advertising the Fusion Energi nationally

Let's take a look at some of the 2015 data for cable and broadcast TV for nationwide audiences:

The Ford Focus boasted 4,750 ads  – The Ford Focus Electric was at about 200

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was advertised 1,400 times – The Mercedes-Benz B-Class EV saw zero

The Chevrolet Cruze enjoyed 700 spots – The Chevrolet Volt only had 200

The Nissan Sentra saw 3,500 ads – The Nissan LEAF fared better than most, at 1,750

In ads specifically for a California-based audience, due to CARB and ZEV credits, numbers were better. But, somewhat peculiar is that in Northeast ZEV states, statistics weren't as promising. The Chevrolet Volt was advertised 800 times in California, but only 10 times in Northeast ZEV states. The Volkswagen e-Golf was the exception, with twice as many ads in the Northeast ZEV states, than in California. However, the ad numbers were nothing close to the 2,200 national ads for the ICE VW Golf.

Sell it like you mean it: Kia Soul EV ad pot featuring a robotic dog

Automakers and dealerships are quick to state that they are doing everything in their power to sell electric cars, blaming low sales volume on lack of consumer interest. While consumer interest is admittedly lower than that of ICE cars, the Sierra Club proved through another recent study, that automakers and dealerships "doing everything in their power," is markedly false. It involved sending volunteers to dealerships to inquire about electric cars. The "mystery shoppers" found little support.

Sierra Club points out that for the BMW i3, Ford Fusion Energi, Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan LEAF, almost nothing was spent on advertising for the Northeast ZEV states. Furthermore, Ford spent a grand total of $0 marketing and advertising the Fusion Energi nationally. BMW should get an award, as the company spent a "whopping" $19 million on national marketing for the i3. Remember, we are talking about automakers that spend billions on marketing and advertising.

Visit the link below to see charts breaking down advertising figures in greater detail.

Source: Sierra Club

Tags: advertising, BMW i3, chevrolet volt, electric cars, evs, Ford Fusion Energi, marketing, Mercedes B-Class, Nissan Leaf

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Source: New Data Supports The Obvious – Automakers Neglect To Advertise Electric Cars